Discovery
by Froody
Summary: Finally deciding to give away the secret of her pregnancy after six lonely months, Padme calls upon her sister for guidance. How can she break the news to her husband? And why has she been unable to tell Anakin of her pregnancy sooner?
1. Discovery Part One

Padmè shakily pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she pressed the last button. After six months without seeing anyone in her family face to face, she was terrified at the prospect of directly communicating with them now, but knew she had to. If she didn't, they'd think something was wrong, and come and see how she was doing- something she'd been trying to avoid for months. Ever since Padmè Amidala had discovered her pregnancy six months previously, she had been wary, even paranoid, about anyone finding out. Even her family. Even… her husband.

Padmè leaned heavily against a nearby wall, one hand covering her eyes as her anxiety returned, one hand on her bulging stomach, the cause of her fret. It had been seven long, lonely months since her husband's last brief appearance. It had been six months since her shocking discovery. It had been six months of isolation, pain and tears that Padmè had endured so far, telling no one of her condition, though she knew that some suspected. In an act of desperation, the Senator of Naboo had been forced to confide in one solitary person, her handmaiden, and closest friend, Dormè. Apart from the fact that it was Dormè who helped her into her complicated formal gowns, it was inconceivable that a person so close to Padmè could fail to notice certain changes to her body, obvious changes only those expecting can achieve, not to mention the all too common mood swings.

But Dormè was gone now; she herself had married and was living with her husband on Naboo. Padmè envied her so much it was sometimes painful to write to her old friend.

In a last minute decision, Padmè reached back to the communicator, still searching for a signal, and changed the visual settings. Her family must not find out. Her parents would be horrified, and they would look upon their youngest daughter with shame. A flicker and a click indicated a fully operational communication line, and suddenly Ruwee, Padmè's father, appeared on her screen.

"Daughter! Darling!" Ruwee cried, beaming at the sight of Padmè. "We haven't heard from you for so many months! Your mother was so worried!" He paused suddenly, in the middle of his fatherly greeting, his face betraying his concern as he finally focussed properly on his daughter. "You look pale, darling. Are you sick?"

Padmè smiled weakly. He had no idea. "I'm fine, Dad. How have you been? Where's Mum?"

"She's out in the gardens I believe, with Pooja. I'll call her for you in a minute. How has work been, darling? You look tired. I told you not to let those filthy politicians run you down."

Ruwee's fatherly concern faintly amused Padmè. He had no idea, of course, of her current condition. He didn't even know she was married. No one did. She hadn't even let that secret on to Dormè. As Padmè answered her father's worried queries, she grew ever more thankful for her last minute brainwave: though she could see her father's entire elderly frame, he could only see her head and shoulders. This unusual decision of his daughter's escaped Ruwee entirely, however, as he chattered on, trying to catch up on her life, missing all the important details. Finally, he called her mother, who, much to Padmè's growing relief, saw not the signs of impending motherhood in her daughter's face, but weariness, which she too blamed on excessive work.

"I really thought you were ready to settle down a few years ago, darling," Jobal mused, looking slightly saddened. "I never imagined you'd stay away from home this long, either. Family has always been so important to you."

Padmè hid her inner misery with all the skill of a practised politician as she tried to think of a response to her mother's statements, but she felt like her heart was being ripped in two. Her mother had no idea just how much family meant to her at the moment. Neither of her parents even suspected Padmè was concealing something from them. They'd always been such an open family, with no secrets, and little need for questions. The rest of family still believed this was true; Padmè knew differently. As she struggled to think of a suitable lie to tell her mother and father, watching their confused but loving eyes on the communicator screen, her mind went blank. How could she continue to deceive her family like this?

After a noticeable pause from conversation, with both her parents staring at her, expecting her to defend her lifestyle, Padmè began to panic slightly. Just as she was about to close down the screen, her heart leapt at the sight of her sister, Sola, running towards the screen.

"Sola!" she cried, as happy to see her sister as she was that the topic had been successfully changed. "I've missed you so much!"

Sola looked up at her sister's face, beaming with happiness, but as soon as she connected with Padmè's eyes, she knew something big had happened. Something that had caused a huge change in her sister. She didn't have to be a Jedi to notice her sister's great unease, or her slightly pale, strange expression, as if she was holding back panic, or tears, or both. Sola glanced sideways at her parents, staring at their loving, caring, unconcerned faces, and knew that whatever had happened, Padmè hadn't told them about it. She looked back at the screen where her sister waited expectantly for her greetings.

"I've missed you, too," she replied, forcibly holding down the worried questions she was so eager to ask. "Pooja and Ryoo miss you as well."

Padmè noticeably sniffed aloud at this comment, turning briefly to hide her face as she presumably wiped away tears. Sola couldn't understand what was wrong with her sister. The Padmè she knew was always strong, decisive and happy. Something awful must have happened to her sister in the past six months. One thing was certain: Sola had to find out what it was.

"Mum, Dad, can I speak to Padmè alone for a while?" Sola turned to her parents, deliberately not looking at her sister first. Her parents were looking shocked; they too were confused by the distraught and unhappy version of their daughter they were presently talking to. They both nodded, and headed out of the room in the general direction of the gardens.

Padmè looked to her sister with a weary expectance. She knew that something like this would happen. Her sister could always tell when something, good or bad, had happened in her life.

"What's wrong, Padmè?" Sola asked quietly, her eyes locking with her sister's. "Has something gone wrong at the senate? I won't tell Mum or Dad, if that's what you're worried about."

"Sola…" Padmè began, and then paused, straightening the skirts of her dress as she tried to think of something, anything, to say in response to her sister's obvious call of support. She longed so desperately for someone to confide in, someone she could trust with her secret, that her self-discipline was wearing down.

"Padmè, you're my only sister. I know when something's up. If you can't tell me now, at least let me come and see you properly, face to face. Something's wrong; I know it, you definitely know it, and I want to help you."

Padmè's fears of discovery completely flew out the window as she responded to her sister's promptings. She had to confide in someone.

"If you can come to my apartment in Coruscant tomorrow at noon, I'd love to see you, Sola. I miss you so much. But you have to promise me something: you cannot tell Mum or Dad anything I tell you."

"Would I ever betray your trust, sister?" Sola smiled gently. "I promise."


	2. Discovery Part Two

Padmè sat near the entrance of her apartment on the edge one of the soft, luxurious couches in the room. She nervously ran her fingers through her loose, curly hair as she waited for her sister to arrive. What would Sola think? She'd probably lose all respect for Padmè, and hate her forever.

Because Padmè didn't know how she was going to get around to telling Sola, she had deliberately pulled on a heavy, intricately decorated cloak, one of the many she had purchased to stop discovery of her pregnancy when acting as senator. The cloak, with all its folds and drapery, completely disguised her belly.

Suddenly Padmè's intercom buzzed to life, and a mechanical voice asked permission to allow a visitor to enter. Padmè slowly stood, gave her permission, and waited tentatively for her sister's judgement.

"Padmè! It is so good to see you!"

Sola ran into the apartment, wearing a light travelling cloak and a simple cream shift underneath. She neither noticed nor cared about her sister's choice of clothes, having had much experience with the strange but beautiful clothing her sister was required to wear to perform ceremonial duties. Sola headed straight for Padmè, who was standing stock still, with a petrified smile on her face. As Sola reached around her sister to give her a hug, Padmè wrapped her own arms around herself and backed down.

"What's wrong?" Sola asked, stopping in mid-hug. She blinked in confusion and backed away from her sister slightly, not knowing what had caused such an unusual reaction in her usually loving sister.

Padmè kept her position a few metres back from her sister, flushing with embarrassment and worry. She didn't want her sister to find out by herself; somehow she knew that it would be much better to tell her first, personally.

Sola decided to pretend not to notice the discomfort Padmè's apparent unfriendliness had caused, and decided to try again. "How are you, Padmè?"

Padmè paused, then made up her mind. Sola was her sister; she deserved to know that she would soon be an aunt. "I'm…"

She paused, slowly removing her cloak to reveal a delicate, form-fitting dress she had ordered months before.

'…Heavily pregnant!" Sola cried in shock, and her eyes grew to an enormous size as she stared at her sister's revealing stomach. "What happened! Who…"

She paused, knowing the obvious discomfort her next urgent question would cause.

"Who is the father?" she finished, putting her hand on Padmè's arm, and staring into her eyes.

Padmè looked at the floor, avoiding her sister's eyes, as she tried to decide what to tell her. Finally she decided that her sister knew too much to be lied to again, and knew that she must tell the truth.

"My husband," she answered, slowly raising her eyes and staring back at her sister.

Sola froze. It was her turn to stare, horrified at the floor, not knowing what to say. She couldn't hold back the stream of questions flowing out of her mouth. "You got married? Without your family? Why didn't you even tell us? Why have you kept this a secret? Who could you have possibly… oh." Sola stopped her tirade as she suddenly understood what must have happened. "That Jedi," she said, not as a question, but as a statement. "You married the Jedi."

"It is forbidden," Padmè said weakly, in response to all the questions, and softly began to cry. "We had to keep it a secret."

"When did this happen?" Sola asked slowly, comprehension eventually sinking in to her rushing brain.

"Three years ago, give or take a few months," Padmè said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Dormè knew, but she's gone now. No one else knows except you. I think many suspect, though."

"No one else knows for sure. Surely you don't mean…? You haven't told your husband yet!" Sola's eyes widened further as she took in her sister's final, most devastating secret, and suddenly she was overwhelmed by pity. Meanwhile, Padmè, now sobbing uncontrollably, collapsed onto the couch and covered her face with her hands.

"So you haven't even seen him for at least five months?"

Sola shook her head slowly, and then sat down next to her sister. "You poor, poor thing. How can you bear to live like this?"

"We've been communicating with letters and with the screen for months, but I can't do it, I have to tell him face to face," Padmè choked, her voice muffled by the many cushions surrounding her.

Sola could only sit rubbing her sister's back as she stared aimlessly at a wall, occupied with the shock and disbelief at finding Padmè in such a vulnerable position. Even after seeing her sister, pale and tearful on the screen the day before, she had never suspected that something this big could have happened.

The two sisters sat in that position for ages, Sola continually soothing her sister, while Padmè gradually calmed down. Finally, as the sound of a loud beep came through from the other room, they both jerked up, and Padmè got up and ran to the source of the noise.

"It's Anakin!" she said excitedly, and Sola sat back down on the couch, wanting to give her sister some privacy.

"Padmè!" Anakin cried with happiness. From what Padmè could see, he was beaming, delighted with this contact. She knew that from where he was, he could only see her head and shoulders. She still hadn't changed her visual settings back.

"Ani! You haven't contacted me for ages!"

"I've been overwhelmed with work." At this, Anakin ran his hand through his longish curls, rolling his eyes at the thought. "Obi-Wan and I have been sent on so many missions lately I've had no time to myself."

"I'm just happy that you're all right."

Padmè smiled softly at her husband, completely forgetting her sister back in the other room as she filled with relief.

"Guess what, angel."

Anakin's blue eyes filled with happiness as he looked upon his wife. "We're about to land in Coruscant. And I have two days free, because I've been working so much lately!"

Padmè inwardly gasped. She hadn't expected this. She tried to mask her shock, and smiled widely. "That's wonderful! So you'll come and visit me tonight?" She silently groaned and hoped he hadn't noticed her voice squeaking at the end of her question.

"Yes, and I can stay until tomorrow evening. I can't wait, Padmè. We haven't seen each other properly for almost six months!"

"You'd better get back to Obi-Wan now, before he notices, Ani, but I'll be waiting for you tonight. May the Force be with you."

"I love you. Bye."

Padmè kept smiling until the screen closed, the communicator disconnected. As soon as the screen went black, she kept staring at it, but instead of a smile, on her face was a look of utter distress. She stood there for a few minutes, not really seeing anything, then turned and walked back into the front room, where Sola was still patiently waiting.

"That was Anakin," she said despondently, so occupied with her thoughts that she didn't realise Sola must have heard every word spoken in the communication.

"He's coming tonight, right?" Sola said slowly, carefully, trying to avoid upsetting her sister anymore.

"He is. I'll have to tell him. What will he do? I'm so happy, I haven't seen him for ages, and he wants to see me, obviously, but he might be angry. He'd be so angry. I want to keep our child! But I love Anakin so much! What am I going to do?"

Padmè spilled out her worries as one quick, panicked sentence, beginning to cry again as she finished.

"Why is it always about him, Padmè?" Sola decided that this was enough. "What about what you want? I know you've always wanted children of your own, sister; I've seen the way you look upon Ryoo and Pooja. You would be- WILL be a loving, caring mother, and you should be thinking of that, not whether you will have it or not. Just think how beautiful it'll be; I mean, you're beautiful, and from what I've seen of Anakin..." Sola gently led her sister back to sit on the couch as she consoled and mildly teased her sister. "And don't worry about what everyone will think when someone suddenly realises. I've heard that acquiring elusive boyfriends on obscure planets is all the rage on Coruscant at the moment."

Padmè laughed weakly, enjoying the joke, and relaxed a little. "Sola, you've been great. I was so worried you were going to hate me for this."

"Never," Sola said, serious now. "Don't ever believe your family would turn against you for something like this. Sure, Mum's always been used to more… conventional family methods, but she loves you too much to really mind."

"Still… I don't want you to tell them for me," Padmè said. "I will tell them eventually, before the baby is born, but I still don't think I'm strong enough…yet."

"Don't worry. I'll just tell them you're suffering from heavy overloads of work. Then they'll be angry at the senate, not you." Sola smiled.

"I mean… I want to tell them, but I just can't right now."

"Well don't leave it too late, or how is Mum ever going to knit the baby's entire wardrobe in time?"

The sisters laughed, Padmè definitely feeling better. She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she hesitated before speaking, not wanting to upset her sister. "Sola, I feel really bad about this, but when Anakin comes tonight, I want to tell him by myself."

"I understand. But are you sure you want to face him alone?"

"Yes. I want him to think he's the first person to find out. That might console him a bit, in the face of all the problems we're going to have to face eventually."

"That's absolutely fine. I'll go now, then." Sola walked up to her sister and properly hugged her this time, cherishing the renewed closeness between them. "I can't wait to be an auntie. Now, you make sure you contact me whenever you need to. I'll come back whenever you need me."

"Thank you, Sola. I'll see you soon."


	3. Discovery Part Three

After Sola had left, Padmè's abated fears returned, and she paced around her apartment, trying to decide what to do. The anticipation of what her husband would do or say made her fearful, and she blamed her pregnancy entirely on herself. Finally she decided to freshen up, changing into a new, specially tailored dress that looked beautiful, and showed off her stomach. Padmè also styled her hair; she wanted so much for Anakin to be pleased with his impending fatherhood.

Finally, after much stress and waiting, she heard the sound of her intercom, and nervously gave it permission to allow a visitor access to her apartment. As she heard the door open, she raced into the front room to greet Anakin and stopped dead at the sight of her visitor.

Obi-Wan felt every bit as shocked as Padmè felt as he stared, mouth open, at her pregnant stomach. After a few seconds of immediate shock, and complete silence from both sides, his brain finally clicked into action and he took a tentative step towards Padmè.

Panicked, Padmè turned and ran back into her apartment, a little pointless, as there was only one exit. She finally collapsed once more upon one of her couches and started crying, in painful gasping shudders that shook her body.

Obi-Wan, having followed, was at a complete loss at what to do. He knew he should be angry at what Padmè had all too obviously done with his padawan, but at the moment, the only emotion he felt was absolute pity for his previously self-controlled friend. He had been given absolutely no sign of any occurrence this huge from Anakin in the months that they had been away, and surmised that he mustn't yet know of this emotionally-charged event. Padmè hadn't told him and she obviously didn't have too long to go.

Obi-Wan broke out of his frozen position, and walked over to the couch where Padmè lay, rocking with uncontrollable sobbing, awaiting condemnation from her old friend. He sat down next to her and gingerly patted her back, not used to dealing with emotional women.

Padmè, who had frozen at his touch, sat up suddenly and started choking out a panicked apology. "I don't know what to do, you must hate me, and what am I going to tell Anakin? He doesn't know-" (she drew a ragged breath) "-and when you tell him he'll be so much more angry at me, he won't love me any more, and he won't want our baby!"

Obi-Wan, having cringed at her mention of 'love', sighed, aware that it was obviously too late for his padawan. What he'd dismissed three years earlier as puppy love now shone true as loving commitment towards the senator, and if Anakin had any hope at all for remaining true to the _rest_ of the Jedi ideals, Obi-Wan had better make sure to offer his padawan support with his lover and his child.

He continued rubbing Padmè's quaking back, and gave her his word that he wouldn't tell his padawan, but would let her do it. He also said that he still wanted their friendship to remain intact; it must have been a hard burden for one woman to hold on to, without daring to entrust the knowledge to anyone else.

Padmè wiped the tears from her eyes, and apologised profusely. She could see how heavily this weighed on her old friend.

"For the last three years, Anakin has thought of you every day, Senator. He has been fearing for your safety and missing you constantly. Obviously," Obi-Wan started, sighing once more, "I haven't exactly been encouraging these emotions, but they show that without a doubt you needn't be worried about any change in his utter devotion to you."

Padmè was immensely grateful to Obi-Wan for his reassurance, but also disturbed at how much her husband had let on. Who else suspected the height of their relationship?

"Now, I'll admit, the reason for my unexpected visit today was to warn you about getting involved with my apprentice. Anakin's going through a testing period of his devotion to the Jedi order, and the last thing he needs is an added distraction. But," he continued, trying to reassure the stricken looking Padmè, "you're more important now. I still trust my padawan to do the right thing. I'll respect your privacy for the moment, but at some point the Jedi Council will have to know. How long exactly has this relationship been going on?"

Obi-Wan wearily accepted her answer of their marriage of three years. They talked for a while about what had been happening, and then Obi-Wan made to leave. But first he asked, with concern, how Padmè was doing, because she looked exhausted and sick.

"I'm fine," Padmè answered, though she obviously wasn't. "Don't worry about me."

She then hugged her friend, completely grateful of his support, and relieved at his lack of judgement on her behalf. Obi-Wan hugged her back, pointedly ignoring the bulge of her stomach, the physical reminder of his padawan's lack of faithfulness to the Jedi order. He then left, not wanting to be around when Anakin turned up. Their confrontation could be saved to a later stage when he'd had time to think about this turn of events.

Padmè hugged herself, aware of how untidy she must now look, and gradually stopped shaking. Why was she so afraid of what Anakin would do? She was still five years older than him; she had known him when he was a generous and innocent little boy. He had told her he would always love her, and she believed him. And, when they first met after ten years, back before their marriage, she had mentioned her desire to settle down and have kids- and he hadn't protested at all! And she _had_ always wanted kids- her sister had reminded her of that this very morning. If Anakin took a short break from the endless work of a Jedi, they could go somewhere quiet and start a proper family.

As she sat, reassuring herself, Padmè started re-pinning her hair, this time in a more simple and understated style. She didn't need to impress her husband- he already thought she was beautiful.

She started as she heard her intercom beeping once more, remembering her previous shocking encounter. She kept sitting as she listened to the front door sliding open, and footsteps gradually making their way to where she waited. Padmè looked down, her long hair shielding any view of her stomach, and she felt, rather than saw, her husband walk in.

There was silence.

Anakin didn't say anything; he just stood, his dark cloak brushing the ground, looking upon his silent wife. Then, slowly, Padmè stood up, her arms wrapped around her obviously pregnant belly, and she walked, almost proudly, up to where Anakin was standing, and suddenly embraced him. And he, in turn, wrapped his arms around her tiny form, both of them content with remaining silent, their need for each other abated as they stood, still, together.

Then, quietly, Anakin removed a hand from Padmè's back, and placed it on her stomach, a smile beginning to grow on his face as he sensed a mixture of Force signals from the new life that they had created. And Padmè watched, all worries flying from her as she relaxed, resting her back against him.

Maybe everything would be all right.


End file.
